Research has shown chiropractic care is very effective in the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal (nerve-muscle-bone) injuries and conditions.
This is one of the many reasons ALL 32 National Football League teams, who are greatly concerned about optimizing the functionality, endurance and overall conditioning of their professional football players, utilize a chiropractic physician to evaluate, treat and manage their elite athletes. In addition, ALL NFL teams know the value of chiropractic’s highly efficient treatments and optimal results on their players’ injuries, which includes neck pain, low back pain, muscle injuries and whiplash type injuries.
Other research studies have shown:
- Workers’ Compensation patients with similar injuries are 28 times less likely to have spinal surgery, if the first point of contact for examination and treatment is a Chiropractic Physician.
- The treatment for low back pain, when initiated by a Chiropractic Physician, costs up to 20 percent less, than when started by a MD.
- Chiropractic treatment for lower back pain out-performed all other types of back pain treatments, including prescription medications, deep-tissue massage, yoga, Pilates, and over-the-counter medication therapies.
- Chiropractic Physicians are the highest rated healthcare practitioner for low-back pain treatments, including physical therapists (PTs), specialist physicians (i.e., neurosurgeons, neurologists and orthopedic surgeons), and primary care physicians (i.e., family or internal medicine physicians).
- With prescription pain drug abuse now classified as an epidemic in the United States, and the number of spinal fusions soaring (500% over the last decade), the essential services provided by Chiropractic Physicians represent a primary care approach for the prevention, diagnosis and conservative management of back pain and spinal disorders, which can often enable patients to reduce or avoid the need for these high risk treatments.
- Chiropractic care has an excellent safety record, when viewed in the context of other treatments for back pain, such as, steroids, pain medications and surgery.
- The American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society jointly recommended in 2007 that medical clinicians consider spinal manipulation for their patients, who do not improve with self-care options.
Source: American Chiropractic Association, 2016
What is Chiropractic“Chiropractic is a healthcare discipline, which emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs and surgery. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.” (Source: The Association of Chiropractic Colleges)
Chiropractic care is used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal (nerve-muscle-bone) conditions.
Chiropractic physicians practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care, which includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. Chiropractic physicians have broad diagnostic and treatment skills, which include spinal and non-spinal manipulation techniques; soft tissue techniques; therapeutic modalities; rehabilitative exercises, plus nutritional, dietary and lifestyle modification counseling.
In many cases, such as lower back pain, chiropractic care may be the primary method of treatment. When other medical conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition.
Chiropractic physicians evaluate patients through clinical examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging and other diagnostic interventions to determine when chiropractic treatment is appropriate or when it is not appropriate. Chiropractors will readily refer patients to the appropriate health care provider, when chiropractic care is not suitable for the patient’s condition, or the condition warrants co-management in conjunction with other members of the health care team.
The Goals of Chiropractic Care
Because chiropractic treatments are often applied to the spinal region, many people incorrectly assume chiropractors treat only neck and back conditions. While chiropractic care quickly and effectively eliminates back and neck pain, these are not the only conditions treated with chiropractic care. In addition, neck and back pain relief are not the only goals of chiropractic care.
The main goal and purpose of chiropractic care is to optimize an individual’s health. This is accomplished by using a holistic approach, which includes identifying and correcting the cause(s) of the patient’s health condition(s). Correcting the cause of a problem provides significantly longer-term benefits versus only treating the symptoms.
How Does Chiropractic Work
The nervous system is the “master controller” of all living cells, tissues and organs. The nervous system orchestrates and coordinates all cellular functions. The spinal column encases the nervous system (spinal cord and nerve roots) and is responsible for its protection.
Because of this intimate relationship, abnormal biomechanical movements and/or structural problems in the spinal column can irritate parts of the enclosed nervous system. This irritation can result from noxious, inflammatory biochemicals, which are released during tissue injury and/or may result from the direct mechanical pressure. In either case, the functioning of the nervous system is negatively (abnormally) influenced, as is the functioning of the cells, tissues and organs, which are supplied by the negatively influenced nerve(s).
The resulting condition(s) depends on the cells, tissues and organs affected by the abnormal nervous system, as well as, the extent of the nervous system compromise.
In short, because the body’s innate recuperative powers are affected by and integrated through the nervous system, correcting spinal abnormalities, which irritate the nervous system can lead to a number of favorable results in patients suffering from various (seemingly non-spinal) health conditions.
What Is a Subluxation (Fixation)
One of the main concerns of a chiropractor is to locate and treat (correct) vertebral subluxations (also called fixations) in the spine.
A vertebral subluxation (fixation) is a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular (joint) changes, which compromise neural (nerve) integrity and may influence organ system function and general health.
Using a number of unique and highly refined skills, the chiropractor checks the patient’s spine for any misalignment, fixations and other biomechanical abnormalities, which chiropractic physicians refer to as vertebral subluxations or fixations. If subluxations or fixations are detected, the chiropractor will generally apply a gentle force (adjustment) with hands or mechanical instrument in a corrective manner to the affected spinal area (vertebral segments).
Chiropractors use many specialized techniques to identify and treat these spinal abnormalities, which optimizes the patient’s overall health. In addition to spinal manipulation (adjustment) techniques, soft tissue techniques (such as, myofascial release and massage); dietary and nutritional counseling; physical therapies; and lifestyle modification programs are commonly employed.
The Benefits of Chiropractic Care
- Short term and regular chiropractic care have a number of benefits including:
- Spinal and extremity pain relief
- Headache relief
- Increased individual (spinal and non-spinal) joint mobility and range of motion
- Increased spinal regional (neck, mid back or lower back) mobility and range of motion
- Decreased joint and soft tissue stiffness and muscular spasms
- Decreased arthritic joint pain
- Increased joint health
- Increased performance and energy
- Increased sense of well being and relaxation
- Increased balance and coordination
- Decreased joint degeneration
- Decreased risk of injury
- Decreased tissue inflammation
- Enhanced tissue healing
